EUGENE -- Another fall at Oregon appealed more to Ifo Ekpre-Olomu than jump-starting his NFL future.

Oregon's All-American junior cornerback spurned early entry in May's NFL draft in favor of a senior season, joining Marcus Mariota as the second Duck with top talent to choose Mark Helfrich's program over millions in potential earnings next season. An NFL draft evaluation he requested projected him to be a second-round selection, he said Monday evening.

"It really comes down to what's going to make you happy at the end of the day," he said of his choice. "(The NFL) definitely had interest in me and I felt it was a good interest but at the same time I wanted to do more.

"I felt that I was leaning toward staying for the most part through this entire process but I was thinking about where I would be in the next year and I always thought about playing in the NFL. It's going to be a great time in my life but at the same time I felt I could still wait one year before I get there."

Ekpre-Olomu was the final draft domino to fall for the Ducks after Mariota and center Hroniss Grasu announced their intentions to return in early December. Two more fell within the last week as cornerback Terrance Mitchell and running back De'Anthony Thomas each declared for the NFL, choosing to forgo their senior seasons. Each has been estimated as third-round selections at the earliest. Evaluations by draft scouts for websites such as NFL.com, Bleacher Report, CBS and ESPN have listed Ekpre-Olomu as a likely first-round selection.

The departure of Mitchell, along with the graduations of safeties Avery Patterson and Brian Jackson, means Ekpre-Olomu is the only starter in the secondary returning next season. Coupled with the uncertainty about who replaces the retiring Nick Aliotti as defensive coordinator and the loss of four valuable contributors at outside linebacker and defensive tackle, Oregon's defense enters a precarious offseason of change.

None of that mattered to Ekpre-Olomu, though, who said his decision rested heavily on knowing secondary coach John Neal -- a candidate to replace Aliotti -- would return.

"Having coach Neal here is pretty much the main reason for me," he said. "If it was something like him leaving then it might be different. ... He was happy I made the decision and he feels I made a good decision in the long run. He told me that I'm ready to do whatever I think I should do and that's all I could ask for."

But no matter who coaches or plays alongside him, Ekpre-Olomu gives UO a cornerstone and understated leader to rebuild around on defense. His 84 tackles were second-most on the team, he boasts 27 consecutive starts and Aliotti recently named the two-time all-conference selection to his "dream" all-time UO secondary.

Ekpre-Olomu has seven career interceptions, five from reaching Oregon's career top 10.

Two weeks after Neal's praise, Ekpre-Olomu intercepted Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion in the end zone and led UO with 12 tackles. In postgame interviews, the cornerback repeatedly referred to playing "next year" with the Ducks, but his final decision to return waited until Monday.

In the Isoko dialect of his parents' native Nigeria, Ekpre-Olomu's first name means "something that fits you well." Apparently he considered his fit at Oregon so good, it deserved another season.